Meditation: How to Do It

Meditation: How to Do It

Throughout my career, I’ve been blessed with fulfilling and rewarding work. Among the most fulfilling and rewarding has been The Meditation Journal Trilogy of hard-cover books that I co-authored with my dear friend Mary Sheldon. This trilogy made basic meditation highly accessible and personally creative to its many readers. As I pointed out last time, basic meditation and self-hypnosis are among the important tools for personal change that will assist you in Re-CreatingYour Self, becoming the person you want to be, living the life you desire.

HOW TO DO IT

In truth, you already know how to meditate. You do it frequently, automatically and naturally. When you’re stopped in traffic, your mind focused on a business meeting, or upon an argument you’ve had with your spouse – only peripherally aware of the cars and noise around you – you are meditating. When you’re standing in front of the bathroom mirror, shaving automatically, mentally thinking about the HD TV you want for Christmas, you’re meditating. And you’re meditating at the Laundromat when you watch your clothes spin in the dryer but mentally focus upon the date you had the night before. In short, whenever you shut out extraneous stimuli and focus your attention on a single subject, you’re meditating.

Right now, you can start using meditation as a practical and efficient tool for change by following these simple guidelines:

(1) Choose the subject of your meditation. If your meditation is for the purpose of Re-Creating Your Self, then your subject should be a new belief you want to accept.

(2) Choose a quiet, pleasant place for your meditation. Your special place may be indoors or outside – your bedroom, a quiet park, lake-side or ocean-side.

(3) Assume a comfortable position, whatever that means to you. You may even lie down. I frequently do.

(4) Close your eyes and relax. Use your own technique for natural relaxation, or use the relaxation technique printed in a forthcoming column.

(5) Focus your attention on the subject of your meditation. To the best of your ability, disregard stimuli, both external and internal, unrelated to your subject. If your mind wanders, be patient with your self. If you have thoughts unrelated to your meditation, acknowledge them, and then return to your subject. Your ability to remain focused on the subject of your meditation will increase with practice.

(6) Examine and evaluate all aspects of your subject. If your subject is a new belief that you want to accept, then analyze it from all angles. Ask your self questions. How have you limited your self by not accepting the belief? How will accepting the belief improve the quality of your life? What keeps you from accepting this new belief right now?

(7) Complete your meditation peacefully and slowly. When you’re ready to end your meditation, open your eyes. Give your self a few moments to return your attention to its usual focus. Carry the relaxation of your meditation into the rest of your day.

It’s important to remember that the best way to meditate is the way that works best for you. If you have ideas for improving the quality of your meditation, give them a try. Meditation is a creative discipline, and not a harsh, rigid practice.

The following is a guided meditation from my and Mary Sheldon’s book, The Meditation Journal. It’s called “Accepting Yourself,” and it’s highly pertinent to Re-Creating Your Self students who are always encouraged to love themselves as they are, even as they are attempting to become better.

1. Make yourself comfortable, close your eyes and relax.

2. One at a time, mentally list everything that you don’t like about yourself – every trait you think could be improved, every mistake you believe you’ve made.

3. Say each item aloud, and then add each time, “and I love myself anyway!” So what if you’re 20 pounds overweight? You love yourself anyway! So what if you lost your patience yesterday? You love yourself anyway! So what if you cheated on your SAT? You love yourself anyway!

4. See yourself through God’s eyes, as a human being who is doing his or her best , and is worthy of love.